Paths of Life
by Ice Dragoness
Summary: When Relena Peacecraft runs away after someone bombs the Sank Kingdom, she wants to begin a new, anonymous life--a life without royalty and protocol. But what she didn't expect was that a war would break out. . . .
1. Runaway

PATHS OF LIFE  
Prologue: The Runaway  
An action/romance/drama Gundam Wing fanfiction novel  
Written by Ice Dragoness

* * * * *

Relena Peacecraft sat on her window-seat and stared at the near-cloudless sky through a window. A single white bird, most likely a dove, soared past her window, silhouetted against the bright light of the sun. _I wish I were like you, little bird,_ Relena thought enviously. _So free to do whatever you like, believe whatever you want. I sit here, day after day, practically preaching something I don't believe in. Pacifism. Why did I do this to myself?_ she thought to herself. 

The Foreign Minister frowned, somewhat bitterly. _Of course. How could I forget? My biological family was a family of pacifists. And King Peacecraft's diary, of course. It's what everyone expected and wanted me to do. Especially Zechs._ She shaded her eyes and looked out the window as the few clouds there were cleared and the sunlight hit her eyes. 

Her door opened with a creak. "Miss Relena?" asked a girl as she popped her blond head in the room. 

Relena sat straight up and glanced at her visitor, a young woman with long white-blond hair and piercing ice blue eyes. "Hello, Dorothy," Relena responded, looking out the window again. 

Dorothy's interestingly-shaped eyebrows furrowed slightly. "What's your problem?" she asked, amused to the point of grinning, but also slightly worried. _Relena's way too uptight,_ she decided. "Heero, huh?" 

Relena smiled a lopsided half-smile and rolled her eyes. "Hardly." _She wouldn't understand._

Dorothy eased herself down onto Relena's four-poster bed with teal sheets (thank goodness, Dorothy despised pink in every form), making it crystal clear that she was going to stay until she got an answer. "Well?" she prompted after a few moments of silence from Relena. 

"It's none of your business," Relena snapped, beginning to grow irritated. She tossed her dark blond hair over her shoulder. 

Dorothy glared right back unreservedly with those unnatural eyes. "What's got the burr up your saddle?" Dorothy shot back indignantly. 

A loud "whirr" and an explosion in the not-to-far distance cut off their "conversation". Relena paled noticeably. "Those . . . those sounded like . . . like - oh, my God! I'm getting Noin!" She left without a second word to her friend. Dorothy narrowed her eyes. _That sounds oddly familiar. Wait a second . . . those sounded like mobile suit carriers and bombs!_

* * * * *

_I have to get Noin,_ was the only thought running through the princess's head as she dashed down a corridor. As she burst into Noin's office, she was glad that no one else was there at the moment-besides Noin herself, of course. 

"Princess, you need to get out of here," Noin ordered. "We have an attack on Sank." 

"I know," Relena gasped breathlessly. "I came here to tell you, Dorothy and I heard an explosion and mobile doll/suit carriers." 

"We still have the white Taurus suits from the wars," Noin stated grimly, brushing some purple hair out of her dark eyes. "I didn't think we'd ever have to use them again after the Mariemaia incident." The former soldier started towards the door. "I'm getting Zechs," she added, coming back for a second. Noin always called Milliardo Peacecraft that still, even after the wars-well, then again, so did Relena. "Get everyone you can out of here, Princess." 

Relena rushed from confrence room to personal rooms and back again, warning everyone of the danger they were in. People were very annoyed about interrupted meetings, but they got the picture quickly and decided that their lives were worth more than a conference. 

As Relena reached the last set of rooms, she saw Quatre and Duo talking and laughing, until they noticed her. "What's up, ojou-sama?" Duo asked, noticing her harried expression. They had apparently not heard the news or the explosions. 

"Several mobile doll carriers have arrived and are attacking the Sank Kingdom." Anticipating their next question, Relena added, "Noin's in the secret hangar with the white Tauruses. She wants you to join her." The two young men nodded, and ran off in that general direction. 

There was only one thing that Relena wanted to get before she left. She hurried back to her room and dove into her closet frantically. Only so much time until the attackers turned to the palace. 

She flipped on the light quickly and searched desperately for what she was seeking. After several agonizing moments, Relena spotted what she was looking for, a plain, white box about two and a half feet long and a foot wide. She touched the box, and was bombarded with memories. _No time for that,_ she thought as she picked it up. She slipped her hand inside the box and was greeted with the touch of cold metal and silk. 

Relena breathed a quick sigh of relief, and hurried to leave the premises herself. She had just left the huge building when an explosion rocked it. Debris and chunks of stone flew out from behind her. Instantly, she dropped to the ground and flattened herself, the box beneath her, and with her hands guarding her neck. 

Shortly after the bombs stopped exploding, Relena breathed a sigh of relief and glanced behind her. _Well, that building won't be used for a long, long time,_ she thought with an amused, yet grim, smile. She got to her feet and glanced back again, realizing something important. _I don't have to come back._

* * * * *

_A day later . . ._

Howard glanced at the paper in his hand as he sipped his coffee. His shirt was, of course, the Hawaiian type with big flowers, palm trees, and ocean depicted. _A normal life. I didn't ever think I'd get this, not after I designed Tallgeese._ His gray hair was slightly messy and his eyes roved the newspaper. _Wait, what's this say?_ he thought, alarmed as the headline caught his eye. _I guess I haven't heard._ He skimmed the article. 

_Yesterday, December first, the Sank Kingdom palace, where Deputy Foreign Minister Peacecraft lives, was bombed and raided by an unknown source. Lucrezia Noin, Head of Defense in the palace, and several of the Gundam pilots were able to fight off the intruders, but the Foreign Minister's whereabouts are yet unknown. Almost everyone believes her to be dead, as she was in the building at the time of the attack. There is too much debris to search through in one day, and if she wasn't dead then, she most likely is now. She was last seen ushering people out of the building, and many regard this as her last good deed._

As Howard glanced through the article, he called for Duo. "Hey! Duo! Where are you?" 

Duo appeared in the doorway. "Yeah?" 

"What's this all about?" he asked the former Gundam pilot #2 of Deathscythe Hell, waving the newspaper in front of Duo's face. 

Duo glanced at the article and swallowed. "Yesterday, Quatre and I were visiting," he began hoarsely, "The Sank Kingdom was attacked. Relena never made it out of the building. Relena's...well, she's...um, dead," he said, looking away. 

"Dead?" Howard echoed. Duo just nodded silently. He and Relena had been good friends through their connection with his girlfriend Hilde (who was Relena's closest friend along with Dorothy), and though he didn't want to believe it, his mind pointed out that all the evidence clearly pointed in that direction. 

"I can't believe that she's dead." Howard shook his head. "Why, I just talked to her a couple of days ago." 

"Did you guys hear the news?" Hilde began quietly as she entered the room with a cup of hot tea in one hand. "Relena, she's, she's..." Hilde couldn't continue speaking and turned her face away to hide red-rimmed eyes. Her throat was choked up. 

She didn't seem to notice that her hand was shaking so badly tea was sloshing over the sides. Duo gently pulled the cup away from Hilde and pulled her close to him. 

* * * * *

_A week after the attack . . ._

Relena smiled inwardly as she made her way through the streets of Akita. _I'm glad I still kept that box,_ she reflected. _It could really help me out._ She grinned at the looks people were giving her. The ornate sword strapped to her back in its sheath sort of "surprised" everyone who saw her. A duffel bag hung at her side. 

After she had left the Sank palace, she had traveled to her summer house in the Nerima district of Tokyo, the entire journey taking about a week since she was out on foot. At her house she had tied her hair up into a ponytail on the top of her head and opened the box she saved from the ruined mansion for the first time in four years. 

When she was younger, she had been kidnapped by a group of people. Knowing that she was the Vice-Foreign Minister's daughter, they figured a good ransom would come their way. After that scandal, she had promised herself that she would never let that happen again. She had studied the traditional style of Tae Kwon-Do for about a year, but gave it up when her family had to move to China for ten months. In China, Relena had picked up a bit of kendo from a forty-odd-year-old woman named Xian Pu. 

In honor of her student's accomplishments (Relena had picked up kendo rather quickly), Xian Pu had presented Relena with a sword. Its hilt was rather plain, with a single green jewel adorning the hilt. As a souvenir of her trip, Relena had made herself a traditional Chinese peasant outfit and a formal dress. After she claimed absolute pacifism, she had locked away all things connected to her study of martial arts regretfully. 

When she turned seventeen, Relena's older brother Milliardo had convinced her to learn self-defense. Relena had tried to resist for two reasons: she was already quite well-aquainted with self-defense (if a bit rusty), and she believed that if the people knew she would be viewed as a hypocrite. Eventually Milliardo wore Relena down, telling her that there were always people like Mariemaia who would hurt her without qualm, and she'd had private lessons that Milliardo had paid for. After two straight years of lessons, her tutor disappeared for an unknown reason. Relena continued to practice, but this time, just on her own. 

The tunic of the peasant outfit was made out of blue silk with silver silk frogs and a silver sash around her waist. The collar came halfway up on her neck, and the sleeves were short. The pants were made of black satin and were very form fitting. The dress was a bright red with gold trimmings and a gold sash. On the dress were white silk flowers and green leaves and had a slit up the left side all the way up to her hip (the sash). The Chinese outfits, a large sum of cash, and some more normal clothes were stashed in the duffel bag. 

Right now, walking down a street of Akita, she was wearing tight black jeans and a plain white sweater with the sword strapped to her back, in its sheath. She had cut her hair to chin-length and colored it dark brown because otherwise people would recognize her. Without thinking, she reached behind her and clasped the hilt of the sword. She closed her eyes and remembered exactly the occasion she had gotten it. 

Her foot hit a patch of slippery ice, and she fell down abruptly. Instinctively, Relena threw her hands out in front of her to catch her when she hit the ice. She landed flat, facedown on the glassy surface, and she noted as she stood up that her palms were slightly bloody. Relena looked down at the glassy reflection in the ice. She started, then realized she was looking at herself. 

_I don't even know myself,_ Relena realized. _I couldn't tell that was me. What have I become?_ She slowly moved to her feet, her mind heavy with thoughts. Wrapping her arms around herself for protection against the cold, she decided, _I'll wander until I find out._


	2. Choices

PATHS OF LIFE  
Chapter One: Choices  
An action/romance/drama Gundam Wing fanfiction novel  
Written by Ice Dragoness

* * * * *

The newspaper shook slightly before it slipped onto a table. 

Heero Yuy stared blankly at the newspaper in front of him on the coffee table. Murmuring out loud to himself, he said, "I've been watching her for years, taking care of her without her knowledge, she left the building, I saw her go all the way to Tokyo. . . ." _I had to stop watching her,_ he added silently, cursing himself for the poor decision. _I had to fight. But they don't need me to fight their battles._

His decision made, whether he was right or not, Heero stood up and walked out of his life of peace, preparing to kill if necessary...once again. 

* * * * *

_I'll go to China,_ Relena thought decisively. She was walking in the streets of a rustic, small town near the edge of Japan, an old town that used to boast warriors of the best. The village had turned out some of the best soldiers, and had not quite forgotten the old ways, despite the new peace. _I need some help, and I know just where to get it._ Though weary, Relena's experience with chi energy kept her awake and fairly alert, though she knew that she would not be able to go much longer without some rest. _Yeah, that's what I'll do,_ she thought. 

Relena shivered. _It feels like someone's watching me, their eyes boring into my back like icy daggers, like death,_ Relena thought, not liking that particular train of thought. _Stop!_ she commanded herself. _Thinking like that will never get you anywhere._

* * * * *

Women and men alike stared at the female traveler among them. She was very beautiful, they knew, with short dark brown hair and beautiful crystalline turquoise eyes. She had the stance of a samurai of old, especially with the sword she was carrying. 

Her clothes were the modern kind, but she looked strong, with defining features, not like they would've expected from a modern person. She was graceful, elegant, proud. 

As she passed, several boys and young men catcalled in her direction. The older folk shushed them, knowing that she could use that sword well. No one disgraced a warrior like that without payment. She, however, paid them no mind, and the elders silently commended her emotional control. Only a flicker appeared in her eyes, nothing else. 

* * * * *

Relena felt disgusted by the whistles she was getting from the village men. _It reminds me of St. Gabriel's School,_ she thought, her eyes burning. _People just like me for my looks, for my money, but never for me, for myself! It's always been that way._

Relena's katana made a sound like "shing" when she drew it from its sheath.

Relena held the drawn katana pointed in the direction of one of the offending party. It was pointed straight as his neck unwaveringly. "Don't mess with me," she spat angrily. The man backed off, his hands held up in surrender. 

"Hey, lady, I'm goin' now. No need to get frisky," he joked. The other men nearby just laughed. 

Relena's eyes narrowed, then she stopped. _I can't waste energy on scum like them,_ the reasonable part of her mind argued. _That's just what they want!_

With a visible effort she re-sheathed her sword. With forced calmness, she said, "Where's the nearest inn?" 

The man, surprised by her sudden change of attitude, answered, "Uh, just down the next street to the left." 

"You'll understand if I don't thank you." 

* * * * *

The unknown person following her chuckled. _Yes, she'll do excellently,_ he thought with an amused smile as his metal hand snapped. _Just who I need._

* * * * *

Relena wrapped her arms around herself in an attempt to warm her body, but it didn't work very well. The maid that was straightening her bed took notice of Relena's chattering teeth and dropped the blanket she was turning down. 

"Could I get you some hot tea, Miss Darlian?" the maid asked respectfully, watching Relena carefully. "You look rather cold." 

Relena licked her chapped lips before speaking. "Yes, thanks very much," she glanced at the woman, who was not much older than herself. She had long raven hair and violet eyes and was probably around Noin's age. "What's your name?" 

"My name is Hoshino Arashi, Miss Darlian," she answered respectfully with some mixed confusion and pleasure. Few customers were ever this polite to maids. 

"Yes, Miss Hoshino. How much will the tea cost?" Relena asked, her hand moving automatically to the duffel bag where her money was. But Arashi waved her hand in a dismissive gesture and would tolerate no talk of prices. 

"It's on the house," she assured a surprised Relena. "You need something to warm you up, and the tea here is very good." 

"Thank you," Relena said again, this time smiling gratefully. Arashi left the room with a quick bow. 

When Arashi returned with the tea, Relena offered to straighten up the room by herself. "I'll take care of the rest of the room, if you like," she told Arashi, who shook her head vehemently. 

"No, Miss Darlian, absolutely not. I can handle it," Arashi responded firmly. 

"It's all right, go," Relena said, and Arashi smiled. 

"Really?" the raven haired girl asked. 

"Yeah." With that, Arashi thanked her and left. 

Relena realized that she had completely forgotten her tea. Steam was rising out of the cup into the cold air. She smiled, bringing the cup to her lips. _It's lemon ginseng tea, I think,_ Relena decided. _It's tangy, but not overly so, with just a hint of herbs and sweetness. Perfect._

Before she knew it, the cup was empty. Relena set it down on the night table next to her bed and began to straighten up the room. When she was done, she set the alarm clock for 6:30 A.M. It was 9:30 P.M by then. 

Relena undressed and pulled on a large white tee-shirt that read "Bite Me" in big red letters. It made her smile. After quickly running a brush through her hair and washing her face, she laid down on the bed. She instantly fell asleep, and when she woke up the next morning, she hadn't moved a muscle. 

* * * * *

_Relena, where on Earth are you?_ thought a frustrated Heero. _It's like all records of your existence beyond the attack have just been erased!_

* * * * *

Heero had gotten used to asking people if they'd seen or met Relena. 

He walked into the building nearest him, which happened to be an inn. "Have you seen a young woman of about nineteen years, answers to Relena?" he asked in a practiced voice, preparing himself for the inevitable denial. 

"Why, yes sir--" began the person at the desk. 

_I'm finally getting somewhere!_ thought Heero, relieved at his apparent success. 

"--she checked out this morning!" 

Heero internally groaned. "Do you know where she was headed?" 

The elderly clerk peered over her half-spectacles at the young man. "If I did know, I wouldn't tell you, young man." 

_Where are you, Relena?! The world needs you!_ thought Heero. 

After Relena's "demise" the Earth Sphere Unified Nation (ESUN) had practically fallen apart. With the absence of her firm beliefs and political knowledge, they had no one to lead them the same way. Her brother, Milliardo, had temporarily taken the rein of leadership. But everyone knew that Milliard didn't promote absolute pacifism in the same way their Foreign Minister had, and couldn't lead them in the same way. 

* * * * *

_I finally made it!_ she cheered silently after she got off the plane. _China, here I am!_

"Now, onto Sally and Wufei's!" she said aloud, her success buoying her demeanor. The two had married half of a year ago, and last Relena had heard were expecting a child. 

* * * * *

_A week later..._

"I made it! The Changs'!" 

As she neared the cracked-open front door, Relena heard an argument. 

"Wufei, you can't go! What about the baby?" Sally said, obviously crying. 

"I can't help it, woman! I have to help! The attacks are getting worse, we need all the help we can get in this war!! Especially with Yuy gone!" 

Relena bit her lip. _Maybe this isn't the best time to butt in,_ she thought hesitantly. _Wait, what attacks? There were more? And Heero's missing?!_ But it was too late, Sally heard her sharp gasp, and rushed to the door. 

"Can I help you, miss?" _There's something familiar about this woman._

_Oh!_ Relena realized. _She doesn't recognize me, I'm supposed to be dead!_

"Ummm . . . ummm . . ." _What am I supposed to do?_ Relena thought desperately. 

"Yes?" Sally asked. _Who the heck are you? I know I've seen you!_

"May I come in for a moment?" Relena asked in Chinese with an inward sigh. 

"Yes, but who are you?" 

"My name is . . . Relena Darlian, ma'am," Relena said. _Relena Darlian? Why did I use my old name?_

_That sounds somewhat familiar. . . . Relena Darlian, hmm. . . ._

* * * * *

Heero sighed as he sat down on a bench and massaged his forehead. "What am I supposed to do? I can't find her anywhere, and war is erupting. . . . Could she really be dead? But the lady at the inn said . . . Oh, forget it. I'm obviously not going to find her. I've been looking for weeks."

Aware of the confused stares he was getting from the locals, he thought, _Great, I've made myself conspicuous. Maybe I should just go back to Japan and fight. After all, the mission takes precedence, doesn't it? The mission. It's always been the mission, hasn't it?_

* * * * *

"Tea?" Sally asked. 

"No, thank you," Relena answered with another sigh. The two had exchanged pleasantries, and Relena could tell that Sally really wanted to know what she was doing here. 

Curiously, Sally asked, "What exactly are you doing here in China? Now is not the best time to be travelling, you know." 

Uncomfortably, Relena replied, "Well, you see, I started travelling a few months ago, a while before this whole thing started. I travel around pretty quickly, and never really got wind of what was going on. I knew there had been an attack on Sank, but that was it. Only recently did I realize how big this was." _Brilliant!_ Relena congratulated herself. 

"I see," Sally answered doubtfully. _Something doesn't ring true here. A few months? She looks like she's only been travelling for a couple of weeks, at the most. . . . And she looks too nervous._

Relena despised lying. And she was never able to lie very well anyways. She closed her eyes, praying to the kami that Sally would accept the truth of what she really was. Relena took a deep breath. "Sally, I've lied to you." 

Sally's eyebrows shot up into her blond bangs. "I see," she repeated. "Will you tell me the truth now?" 

Relena bit her lip. "Yes, I will. Who would I look like with blond hair and a military-like uniform?" 

As Sally did, she slowly realized. "Relena Peacecraft!" 

* * * * *

As Heero booked a plane back to Japan, he thought once again of Relena. _Wherever you are, I hope you got what you were looking for, Relena._

* * * * *

"Yes, it's me, Sally," Relena admitted. "I'm sorry I lied to you, but--" 

Sally cut her off with an abrupt wave of her hand. "That's fine. But tell me, how did you survive?" 

"Well, I was out of the building when the bomb went off. I went to Nerima, then to Akita, and here to China on a plane." 

"Why didn't you come back?" Sally demanded. "The government has started some stupid civil war over control while the attacks from the Viper Clan continued!" 

Relena sighed. "I know, but I've never really been a pacifist, and when the building blew up, I figured that this was my chance to get away, to start a new path. . . ." She trailed off, unsure of what else to say. _Was the Viper Clan the group who attacked Sank?_

"I understand. But you've never been a pacifist? Why promote it?" 

"Well, just because I'm not a pacifist doesn't mean that I don't want peace. I just figured that that was the best way, and it worked," Relena replied with a shrug. 

"Alright. Just stay the night, okay?" 

* * * * *

_The next day..._

As Deathscythe-H's beam-scythe cut through the three Leo mobile suits surrounding it, Duo exclaimed aloud, "Where in the name of God above is Heero?! We need Wing Zero here!" 

"I'm right here, Duo," answered a familiar voice from behind him, and Duo turned to see Wing ZERO. "It's time to fight, so shut your loud mouth up." 

* * * * *

"I guess I'd better go. . . ." Relena said uncomfortably the next morning. "I'll see ya 'round, okay?" 

"Wait, Relena!" Sally called as Relena edged nearer to the front door. 

Relena blinked. "Yes?" 

"Please stay. Wufei's going off to fight, I need someone here with me," pleaded Sally. 

Relena hesitated. _I want to fight, but I can't . . . especially 'cause I'm no mobile suit pilot..._ "Yes, I'll stay, Sally," she replied firmly after a moment's hesitation. 

* * * * *

_Later that day..._

As Relena stepped out of the Changs' house on the pretense of admiring Sally's flower garden, she sighed and sat on a wooden bench. Out loud, she muttered, "I want to fight! I don't just want to stand here and do nothing while people die and get hurt. I want to DO something! I want to fight!" For emphasis, she smacked her fist down on the wood beside her and felt the bench vibrate. 

"You want to fight, young lady?" asked an aged, amused voice. 

Relena jumped up instantly and glanced around wildly. Nearby, a figure stood, and she recognized it as none other than . . . "Doctor J!" 

* * * * *

Heavyarms had, as usual, run out of ammunition and was forced to go hand-to-hand with a Taurus mobile doll. Sandrock was faring only a little better as it blocked off a strike from the left and managed to gun down two more on the right. 

* * * * *

In another battle, Heero was using Wing Zero's Z-System capabilities to its full extent without letting it control him completely. Duo was nearer the back ranks of the fight, using its beam gun for the farther opponents, and the beam scythe for the ones who "invaded his personal space". 

* * * * *

Altron, Wufei's Gundam, took full advantage of its arm's reach, and using the flame-capabilities to ward his enemies off. "Ten against one! Hardly fair!" he chuckled. "Still, Nataku will not lose!" 

* * * * *

"Yes, that's my name. You would like to fight?" he repeated. 

Relena nodded, not trusting herself to speak. Here was her opportunity! 

"I can help you," Doctor J continued. "I have designed a new Gundam, and I've been watching you. You'd make an excellent pilot, Relena." 

"But - but I can't pilot a mobile suit!" Relena stammered, overwhelmed with wide eyes. 

The doctor grinned. "I can change that." 

Relena slowly smiled. "You've got a deal." With that, she wrote a quick note to Sally and left with Doctor J. 

* * * * *

_Dear Sally,  
I'm sorry for leaving so early. I know you asked me to stay for a while, but I can't. There is an urgent matter I must take care of, and I think we'll meet again soon.  
Love,  
Relena_


	3. Enter the Dragon

PATHS OF LIFE  
Chapter Two

Written by Ice Dragoness

* * *

"This Gundam," began Doctor J, "is called Draco. Your Gundam," he added as an afterthought. 

They had booked a plane back to Japan. Now, they were in a remote underground area that Relena didn't even know existed. As far as she knew, they were very, very far underground, but not enough to inhibit health. Apparently this was where Doctor J had developed her Gundam. 

Relena gazed in open awe at the magnificent machine in front of her. The Gundam itself was approximately the size of Wing Zero. But there was something else about it that attracted her. 

Draco was definitely feminine. No, it was not pink or flowery or frilly. But it was more slender than the other Gundams and was obviously designed for a lighter person. The head was solid ebony with a gold dragon-like crest on top. Its eyes glowed a molten silver; they were hot, like it was furious. 

The torso was a mix of black and silver, black was the base color and silver was the border color. The shoulder extensions were shaped like Sandrock's, but instead of white and gold, they were green with black lining. It's arms were both completely silver with green claws for hands, like Shenlong's. On the right arm there was a black and silver shield like that of Wing Zero's and the other arm sported a green twin buster rifle. Both legs were completely black. 

Suddenly, a voice broke through Relena's reverie. 

"Here are the stats for Draco, Relena," said Doctor J as he handed her a piece of paper with some numbers and stats on it to her. 

**Armament-  
Twin Buster Rifle x1  
Beam Glaive x1  
Flame-thrower x2  
Dragon Fang x1  
Beam Gatling Gun x2  
Army Knife x1  
Long Shield x1 **

Basic Statistics-  
Height: 16.7  
Weight: 7.3  
Armor: Gundanium/Titanium Alloy 

Fighting Statistics-  
Fighting: 180  
Weapon: 200  
Power: 190  
Armor: 180  
Speed: 230 

"You see, Draco was mainly designed for speed, like Deathscythe and Deathscyhe-Hell. But it also has a wide range of weaponry, like Heavyarms and Shenlong-Altron, Relena," lectured Doctor J. "Now -" 

"Don't call me Relena, please," broke in Relena flatly. 

"Why not? Bad memories?" 

"Exactly," Relena confirmed. 

"What would you like to be your code name?" asked the old man. 

"What about . . . Meiun?" Relena suggested. 

"Meiun it is," agreed Doctor J. 

"I want to see what your physical level of pain-tolerance is, Meiun. You can't exactly spar with me, though, I'm an old and decrepit man." 

"You are, aren't you," Relena said with a smirk, the light in her turquoise eyes dancing. Not a question, but a statement. 

"Don't push it. But I designed a virtual-battle for you to test out. Just to warn you though, the pain you will feel in there is real, and is physical." 

Relena's heart fluttered nervously. "Okay," she said tentatively. "What do I have to do?" 

"There is a small room nearby that is hooked up to my virtual-world. Once the hologram starts, you will be in Draco, fighting for your life," he answered grimly. "Of course, if you lose there, you don't die in real life," he added. "But losing is not very common, because I'll ease you into this. On your first simulation, you will just be fighting two Leos." 

"Just two Leos?" Relena asked, both disappointedly and indignantly. 

Doctor J chuckled. "But you won't start out with that. I need you to become comfortable with Draco's cockpit. You can't fight without knowing your weapons, after all." 

He led Relena up a long, long flight of stairs that led up to the cockpit door. When Relena touched the entrance it opened automatically. "I can't go inside with you," Doctor J warned. "Draco will become attuned to only one person, it's pilot - you. Do you see the blank blue screen on the left side?" 

"Yes," Relena called. 

"Place your left hand on it," Doctor J instructed. "It responds to your thoughts, so command it to turn on by thinking, 'Draco on-line'." 

Relena did so. As she did, she felt a sharp tingle run through her head, but brushed it off as the cockpit lit up. The largest screen on the right glowed. On it appeared a question in bold neon-yellow letters - 

AZ System - ON/OFF 

"It's asking me whether the 'AZ System' should be on or off, Doctor!" yelled Relena. 

"Turn it off for now by touching the word 'OFF'. You're not ready for AZ yet," he answered. 

"What is the AZ System, Doctor?" asked Relena as she poked her head back out curiously. 

"AZ stands for Advanced-ZERO," asserted Doctor J. 

"Oh..." Relena said. She had heard a lot of the ZERO System from Quatre and Duo, and she shuddered to think of what an advanced ZERO would be like. 

"Now, punch the small black button on the top-left corner of the control panel. Its labeled 'Layout'." 

As Relena pushed it, a picture appeared on the frontal screen. It was a complete diagnosis of her Gundam from top to bottom, inside and out. All of the weaponry was labeled and pointed out, all of the statistics for the suit, the emergency power system labeled, and a complete map of the inside, down to the very last circuit. "Wow," she whispered, awestruck at the sheer power at her fingertips. 

_So, here's the controls that activate the limbs of the suit,_ she thought with a quick glance at the frontal screen. She punched the "Zoom" button on the control panel and a picture of the panel appeared on the screen. All of the buttons, joysticks, and the keypad were easily visible and clearly labeled. 

"So, when will I do this virtual fight?" Relena questioned, leaning on the cockpit doorframe after she had familiarized herself with the Gundam's control panel. It had taken about five to ten minutes. 

"Right now, if you think you're ready for it," Doctor J said with a shrug of his shoulders. 

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be," Relena responded. 

"If you think so, come this way," Doctor J said, leading her towards a small room near the end of the corridor nearest the base of the stairs. 

The door of the room was labeled "MS Pilot Trainee Testing Room" in a strange neon-lime-green. Relena shivered, that sounded eerie. 

Inside the room, it was fairly unremarkable. In the far-right corner (which wasn't really very far) there was a headset and visor hanging on an outlying hook. Leading from them was a wire that connected to a small hole in the steel wall. 

"Put the visor on," ordered Doctor J. Relena did so, and the doctor punched a small red button on a handheld control she hadn't noticed before. 

Instantly she was thrust into black space. Relena sucked her breath in sharply. The control panel was right there in front of her, and the rest of Draco's cockpit surrounded her, down to the last perfect detail. When she glanced up at the main screen, she saw two green Leo suits. They were about to attack her. The one on the left struck out with it's near arm. 

Relena scrambled to block with the correct arm. _I guess I didn't study that control panel as well as I thought I did,_ she thought ruefully. But there was no time for more thoughts, because the second Leo decided to attack. 

* * *

Doctor J frowned as he watched Relena's hands race over blank space quickly. She wasn't doing as well as he thought she would. _I just hope she doesn't access the A-ZERO System,_ he thought. 

* * *

Relena was losing, and she knew it. In desperation, she unleashed a barrage of flames with her dragon-arm, hoping to disable at least one of them. It worked partially; she managed to remove an arm and leg off of one. 

But even though she crippled it, it could still shoot with the other arm, and it knew it. 

Relena was startled by a small message on the bottom-right of the screen. It read in blocky red letters - 

**ACCESS A-ZERO SYSTEM W/ "AZERO"**

Desperately Relena punched in "AZERO" onto the keyboard, and remembered no more as the world faded into black. 

* * *

When she awoke, Relena was lying on a cot in an unfamiliar room. A shadow was standing above her. Startled, she lashed out with her left arm. 

"I told you you weren't ready for the AZ System!!" he said angrily, ignoring her blow. "Why did you access it?!" 

"That's right . . . it was just an illusion," Relena murmered groggily, sitting up slowly. "But it seemed so real, so lifelike, I thought my life depended on it . . . What happened after I accessed A-ZERO?" 

"You don't remember?" Doctor J asked, startled out of his anger. 

"No, just . . . fainting," she said in a confused voice, furrowing her brow. When she tried to remember, she just got a headache. 

"I'll have to look into that," he mused aloud, then changed the subject. "By the way, did you feel something when you commanded Draco to come on-line for the first time?" 

"Now that I think of it, my head was tingling." 

"Good," he said with satisfaction. "Now you've forged a mental link with your Gundam. Anytime you want, you can gather information off of its database into your memory or order it on- or off-line without touching it. In the meantime, I have some less . . . strenuous practice excercises for you and Draco," he informed her firmly and Relena sighed.

* * *

Two days after her training had started, Relena worked up the courage to ask Doctor J something that had been bugging her for a while. "Doctor, can I ask you a question?"

"Depends on what you ask."

"Well, aren't you supposed to be dead? I mean, you _were_ in that Libra ship fragment when it exploded," Relena pointed out uncertainly. "How did you survive?"

To her surprise, Doctor J chuckled. "I was wondering how long it would take you to ask that, Relena. You see, I had recently developed a device that will allow you to teleport away from something. I had thought it could come in handy on the battlefield, you know - startle your enemies by disappearing right before their eyes. But as it turns out, it only can teleport a maximum number of kilograms, which I happen to weigh under," he explained. "So I teleported out of there, knowing that the Viper Clan could, and probably would, rise up against the new government again, and that I might be needed in another war."

"Again?! You _knew_ about the Viper Clan?" Relena asked, both angry and amazed.

Doctor J frowned. "Yes, I did. Every now and then they would uprise against various government systems. The only serious impact they ever had on the world was fear, and of course during the Gundam Wars they were the White Fang rebel group."

"But this is a lot bigger than just an uprising!" Relena persisted. "It's caused a full-fledged war!"

"Yes, this time it is," he replied with a nod. "Which is why I designed two more Gundams to fight," he added.

Relena paused. "_Two_ more?" she asked. "Who's the other pilot?"

"I haven't decided that yet," Doctor J admitted. "Do you have any good suggestions? And Dorothy Catalonia doesn't count," he smirked.

"Actually, yes," Relena said as she bit her lip. "She was an OZ soldier before she switched sides, thanks to Duo Maxwell."

"You must be talking about Hilde Schbeiker," Doctor J improvised.

Relena stared at him in surprise. "How did you know that?"

"In truth, I haven't really hid my identity from the _entire_ world," he confided. "I've been in contact with Heero ever since the Mariemaia incident, so I know all about Hilde and her exploits."

"Should I contact her?" Relena asked, unsure whether to drag Hilde into this. After all, Duo would _not_ be happy.

"Would she make a good pilot?" he responded.

"I think so, she was captain of her squad," suggested Relena to Doctor J, who nodded in confirmation.

"Get in touch with her, immediately," he ordered, and Relena complied by reaching for her laptop.

**Hilde, are you there? It's me, Relena,** Relena typed as she sent an e-mail off. If Hilde was online, the computer would force her into automatic chatline.

**Hilde online. You're lying, Relena Peacecraft's dead,** Hilde retorted.

**Ask me something only I (Relena) would know,** Relena replied instantly.

**What happened to my Swiss Army knife?** challenged Hilde.

**That wasn't your Swiss Army knife, it was mine,** Relena typed.

A long moment passed. Then her laptop beeped, and a reply came slowly, each letter forming seperately.

**Relena, is it really you?**

**It is,** Relena assured her. **And this chatline is secure, I made sure of it. You can say whatever you like.**

**Well, the first thing I'm gonna say is that Duo's a complete and total jerk for not letting me fight!** Hilde raged. **He's becoming more like Wufei with every passing moment! It's all "You shouldn't fight, Hilde" and all that trash!**

Relena actually laughed aloud. This was the perfect entrance. **You really want to fight?**

**Of course I want to fight! I can't just stand around doing nothing in the middle of a war!**

_Wow, deja vu._ **Well, I know a way you can get in the middle of the action . . .** Relena knew that it was important to leave Hilde hanging.

**Yes! How??** Hilde's reply came faster, like she was more eager.

**Just come stay with me,** Relena suggested. **Now, here are the coordinates for the place I'm staying at . . .**


	4. Astrea's Master

STARTING A NEW PATH  
Chapter Three

Written by Ice Dragoness

* * *

_The next day . . ._

Relena waited at the hangar entrance for any sign of her friend. All she could see was dust and sand, in every direction. Vaguely, she could see a dark spot against the honey-colored sands, and hope rose in her chest.

As the spot drew nearer, Relena realized that it was indeed Hilde. _Finally! Someone my own age!_ But as Hilde drew nearer, she realized that Hilde had a gun out pointed in her direction.

"Hey, Hilde! No need for the gun, it's just me!" Relena called, hoping that Hilde had heard her.

Finally, only a few yards away, Hilde's gun-hand dropped and she breathed an audible sigh of relief and spoke hoarsely. "Thank goodness! I came here thinking that it might be a trap, and -" Hilde stopped short as she glanced around the hangar. "Impressive," she conceded.

Hilde grinned. "I came the long way, you know, walking five miles across this desert. Mind if I get a drink?" she asked, gesturing at Relena's canteen.

"No problem," Relena responded with a shrug as she handed the red canteen to Hilde.

"So, how long have you been training here?" Hilde asked after she slaked her thirst.

"Just a couple of days," Relena said with a shake of her head. "Come inside, Doctor J's got a mobile suit for you."

"A suit for me? And isn't Doctor J supposed to be dead?" Hilde demanded.

Relena sighed. "It's a long story. Basically, he survived and he's helping me learn how to pilot a suit."

"I see."

"You're not surprised I'm not a pacifist?" a surprised Relena queried.

Hilde shrugged embarassedly. "I had my suspicions," she admitted. "But I never confronted you, 'cause I knew there was a big chance I would be wrong."

"You want to see your suit?"

* * *

"Wow, it's incredible!" exclaimed Hilde passionately. "More than I could've ever dreamed of!"

"Here are the stats," Relena said through a mouthful of muffin as she handed the same type of paper to her friend.

**Armament-  
Beam Saber x1  
Gatling Gun x1  
Beam Cannon x1  
Vulcan Gun x2 **

Basic Stats-  
Height: 16.5  
Weight: 7.1  
Armor: Gundanium/Titanium alloy 

Fighting Stats-  
Fighting: 180  
Weapon: 190  
Power: 210  
Armor: 220  
Speed: 180 

The Gundam itself was more like Sandrock than anything else, in terms of battle strategy. The head was a mixture of red, gold and black, with a similar gold dragon crest on hers. The "face" was black with burning golden eyes, eyes that bore into your very soul. The torso was mainly red with three gold "V"'s on the front. The arms were black with gold hands. The shoulder extensions were shaped like Deathscythe-Hell's wicked, curved claws and colored red. The legs, like Draco's, were all one color: red.

All in all, it was very imposing. And Hilde obviously thought the world of it.

"Settling in, Hilde?" said Doctor J, rather pleasantly as he entered the hangar. "Your Gundam is named 'Phantasm'. Taking a look at it?" At Hilde's nod, Doctor J continued. "Good. I'll show you how to link to your Gundam."

Relena left the room and headed to her personal room. As she started to stretch out on her mat, she let her mind open and wander.

FLASHBACK

"Never forget how beautiful the earth looks from afar."

END FLASHBACK

Now, with her adoptive father's words coming back to her all of a sudden, Relena felt dizzy as she sat up and rested her forehead in her palms.

Gradually, Relena's headache faded away, leaving only a dull throb behind. But it still lingered, mocking her as she stood up and started her katas. _Step forward, down block, guard, reverse punch, front kick, down block, guard, side kick, step around, repeat,_ she ordered herself firmly, determined to overcome this obstacle.

Relena had just drawn her sword to practice her kendo when Hilde and Doctor J entered the room. "Meiun? I need to speak with you on a _very_ urgent matter," he said firmly.

"Yes?" Relena was vaguely annoyed at being interrupted, but resheathed her sword.

"I just got a message from Heero," he announced gravely. Relena's head jerked up. "He and the other Gundam pilots need lodging here, to rest and recuperate between battles and train. Ryuujin - I gave Hilde a code name as well - has a situation here. You know how Duo would react if he knew she was here, fighting. Does it matter if you need to be hidden, too?" he questioned.

Relena bit her lip. "I don't know," she answered slowly. "But I probably wouldn't want them to know I was here."

Doctor J nodded solemnly. "Very well," he said. "It won't be that hard; we have a huge base here." But it sounded as if he was trying to convince himself.

* * *

_Two weeks later . . ._

Relena sighed. _Hiding from them is getting harder and harder,_ she reflected. _We have to duck into empty rooms every time one of them comes through a corrider on their way to start or end a mission or whatever._

Hilde seemed to pick up on what Relena was thinking. "You're absolutely right. We're not going to pull this off for very much longer."

Their reverie was broken by the now-familiar sound of Doctor J's voice. "I have your first mission information."

Relena and Hilde jumped up immediately, their faces tinged with anxiousness. "Really?" Hilde asked, trying - and failing - to keep the excitement out of her voice. She swallowed, trying to keep her composure. "So, what are we going to do?" she asked, slightly calmer now.

"Just basic mass destruction," he told them offandedly. They both blanched. "I have the coordinates for one of the Viper Clan's main bases. They're loaded into your Gundam databases. You two will go there, and destroy as much as possible. They're developing new mobile suits _and_ mobile dolls."

Relena took a deep breath as she nodded. Hilde voiced what she was thinking. "Let's get ready," Hilde said with a grin.

* * *

Duo glanced up at the seven Gundams, all lined up in a row. _That sounds like a fairy tale. "All lined up in a row,"_ he mused with a slight smile.

"What's funny?" Quatre asked, coming into the room with a cup of coffee in one hand.

Duo grinned his Cheshire-cat trademark grin. "Just thinking. What do you think of those two new Gundams there, eh?"

Quatre shrugged. "I don't really know," he admitted, taking a sip of his coffee.

"I think something's wrong," Duo said after a pause. "I mean, why build Gundams if they're not going to be used? It's been half a month, no pilots," he pointed out.

"Yeah, you're right. You think they have pilots?" Quatre questioned, setting the coffee cup down and running a hand through his blond hair.

"I don't know . . . I wish I did," Duo said, and they both laughed.

* * *

"Oh, great," Hilde muttered as they quickly and silent walked past Quatre and Duo's door. "They've caught on to us."

"But they don't _know_," whispered Relena quietly.

* * *

"Did you hear something, Duo?"

* * *

As Hilde commanded Phantasm to come on-line, she smiled. She'd never seen anything like this mobile suit before, and likely wouldn't again. As the cockpit lights turned on, she noticed a red, blocky message on a small scree. It read -

**Viper Clan Database Information**

Hilde stared curiously at it. _Database? Information on the Viper Clan?_ "Wait a moment, Meiun," she commanded softly through the speech-link their Gundams shared. "There's something I want to take a look at real quick."

"Sure, but hurry. It's almost 1400 hours, time for the mission." Relena's firm voice filtered through the speakers.

Knowing she had little time, Hilde pressed her finger on the words. Instantly, one of the larger screens lit up. On it was listed some sketchy information on the modern Viper Clan, as well as all the places they terrorized. Then she noticed something. There was a small list of confirmed former members of the Clan, who either died or dropped out. One of the names was "Odin Lowe".

_Odin Lowe? Who the heck is that?_ she wondered, then heard Relena's voice.

"We have to leave, _now_," Relena ordered urgently. "It's time!"

Hilde shook her head to clear it, and fired up the thrusters on Iris. Doctor J had made sure they had a secret exit out of the other side of the base. It was soundproofed, so that the other Gundam pilots wouldn't hear them leaving and coming.

They raced across the desert at near-top speed southwest. The base they were aiming for wasn't very big on the outside, according to Doctor J, but it harbored an underground MS factory. They had recently constucted a prototype mobile suit with titanium armor, which they called "Venom". It was imperative that they destroy it.

"Got it!" Relena shouted as they neared it. She pulled out her twin buster rifle as a dozen Taurus mobile suits, piloted by humans, started pouring out of the entrance, which happened to be to their upper-left. Hilde readied Phantasm's beam cannon to shoot. The automatic targeting system kicked in, and after a few seconds she murmered, "Locked on target."

Without warning, one of the suits pulled out a gatling gun, and took a shot at her. "Chikuso!" she hissed as she shot back, dead on-target, totally by reflex. _Can't get cocky!_ she thought. Five of the other Tauruses cornered her, while the other six teamed up on Draco and Relena.

Hilde whipped out the beam saber and ignited it, slicing through one of the dolls. It was another lucky shot, 'cos the suit was slightly off balance.

Relena wasn't doing much better. She had ignited her beam glaive early on, and had destroyed one suit and incapacitated another, which blew up a minute later. But there were still four left. She swung the glaive in a wide arc. The dark purple beam sliced through yet another suit. _I'm glad these aren't dolls,_ she thought grimly as a Tauros punched and she blocked. As she did, she unlocked her knife on that hand, and it sliced through the lower half of the suit's arm, making parts of it explode.

Hilde was starting to feel a little more confident about their odds. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted something that made her heart thump. A shockingly golden suit - which managed to blend in well with the sand all around them - was rising out of the sand. _No, wait,_ Hilde thought, _Not out of the sand, but out of another entrance._

Relena stared at the new suit in wonder. _Now _that_ is one heckuva mobile suit,_ she thought with a slight smile. _I'm honored they thought us this good._

_Ten minutes later . . ._

"That pilot must've been training for years! We're not a match for it, even if it's alone!!" gasped a breathless Hilde. But there was no time to say anything more, because the pilot decided to attack again.

"There's only one way to win," Relena stated, both grimly and hesitantly after the attack ceased for the moment.

"As long as you don't self-destruct, be my guest!" Hilde cried, fending off a beam saber with a shield.

Relena took a deep breath, and glanced down at her keyboard. She typed in the word "AZERO" and closed her eyes, waiting for it to take effect.

Hilde watched in both fascination and astonishment as Relena completely decimated the Venom suit singlehandedly. And it was obvious Venom's pilot was just as surprised and shocked as she was. _Draco hasn't even take a single hit!_ she thought in amazement. Draco was like a black bullet, and when she was done, all that was left of the Venom suit was a bunch of scrap metal.

"Hey, Meiun, what'd you do?" Hilde asked her partner. When she didn't get an answer, she called out again. And again. Finally, a frustrated Hilde rested Phantasm in front of Draco and got out of the cockpit. As she did, she covered her face with the material of her light shirt; it was a windy day, and that was a bad thing in the middle of the desert.

She pushed the button to open the cockpit and climbed in. Doctor J had designed it so that if there was trouble, Hilde could get inside Draco's cockpit, and Relena could come into Phantasm's cockpit, but no one else could. _Not much different than Phantasm,_ she thought vaguely. Then she noticed Relena.

Relena was unconscious, her cheek resting on the control panel - fortunately not activating weapons or anything. Her brown hair spilled over her face and onto the keyboard. Hilde shook her shoulders gently, trying to wake her up. "You know, this isn't the best time to be takin' a nap," she joked half-heartedly.

After ten minutes, Hilde started to get desperate. _Am I gonna have to leave her here?_ she wondered, knowing that she couldn't, for more than one reason. One, Relena was in a Gundam in the middle of the desert. Bad. Noticeable. Two, her conscience wouldn't let her.

* * *

_Blackness . . . darkness . . . I can't move . . . I can't see . . ._

What's going on? Where am I? It's so dark in here. What am I doing here? Where can I go? Why am I here? Am I dead? Have I been killed? I-

"Go, and live," said a voice, warm with emotion and crystal clear. "Be free of this monstrosity and awake."

With an abrupt start, Relena woke up. Hilde breathed a sigh of relief as she saw her companion open her eyes. "What happened?" Meiun murmered groggily.

"Don't worry about it," Hilde said quickly. "I'll tell you later. C'mon, let's go back to base."

* * *

"I wonder if anything on the Viper Clan's here?" Duo wondered aloud as he sifted through various black floppy disks. One in particular caught his eye. "It's labeled 'Viper Clan Information Database'." Intrigued, Duo grinned as he took the floppy disk back to his and Heero's room.

As he inserted the disk into Heero's laptop, Duo once again thought about those two mysterious Gundams. Draco and Phantasm, Doctor J had called them. What else had Doctor J said? Oh yeah, he was just fooling around with some designs. _Yeah, and I'm the Pope,_ Duo thought with a smirk.

The braided boy clicked on the file that popped up in a window. _Security codes,_ he thought disinterestedly. _Pretty simple ones, too._ It only took a couple of minutes to disable them.

He opened up the only file on the disk. But something out of place caught his eye. The title of the file was "Draco-Phantasm Gundam Database," not "Viper Clan Information Database"! "He knew someone might get a hold of the disk, so he disguised it," Duo guessed as he toyed with his braid.

Duo's eyes narrowed as he clicked down the list of statistics for the Draco Gundam. The description made it sound as if it _did_ have a pilot. _Aha!_ Duo thought as he came across a pilot profile. _Holy --!_ he thought, shocked. _If Relena's the pilot of Draco, then who pilots Phantasm? It better not be -_ His suspicions were confirmed as he read the rest.

The pilot's name in the pilot profile for the Phantasm Gundam read "Hilde Schbeiker".

* * *

"How dare you?!?!" Duo shouted at Doctor J. "Why didn't you tell us that Relena and Hilde were here?! We have the right to know!"

"What are you talking about?" asked the doctor irascibly. "Relena Peacecraft and Hilde Schbeiker aren't here."

Duo slammed the disk down onto the desk, with so much force the desk shook. "Gee, I wonder how I knew?" he said sarcastically.

Doctor J's eyes narrowed. "Fine, they're here. But I most certainly won't tell you where they are or what they're doing."

"I'll find out myself!!" With that, Duo stormed off. Doctor J shook his head as he watched Duo leave.

* * *

Duo was so incensed that he didn't watch where he was going. A half-second too late, he noticed vaguely that he was about to walk into a wall. He readied himself for impact, but didn't come across one.

"Wha-?" Duo asked to thin air as he walked through the wall. Turning around, all he could see was a grayish blur. Duo reached out tentatively ahead of him, and he noticed as the lower half of his arms moved straight through the "wall".

_Oh, it must be a hologram. Wait, hologram?!! Why?!_ His own question was answered when he turned around once again. Directly ahead of him - just a few inches ahead of him, actually - was a door labeled "D-P Hangar". _D-P? Draco-Phantasm?_ he wondered.

As he opened the door, he was treated to the sight of Hilde and Relena getting out of their Gundams.


	5. Reconciliation

PATHS OF LIFE  
Chapter Four

Written by Ice Dragoness

* * *

Unfortunately for him, the first thing that came out of Duo's mouth was "What are _you_ DOING HERE?!?!"

"What do you mean, what am _I_ doing here?? What are _you_ doing here?!" Hilde demanded, her fists clenching at her sides.

"I fight!"

"And so do I!!" Hilde exclaimed angrily as she stepped forward, ignoring the blackish-blue lock of hair that fell into her eye. She pointed her index finger at his chest, poking him. "I have just as much of a right to fight as you!"

"No you don't!" shouted Duo, but was cut off by Relena.

"It's not her fault," Relena said sharply. "I invited her here."

"And what are _you_ doing here?" asked Duo, turning on Relena. "You don't fight!"

Hilde slipped out of the hangar as Relena and Duo started arguing. Only Relena saw her leave. Hilde mouthed the words "my room", and Relena nodded almost imperceptibly.

Duo noticed that her gaze, which had been centered on him, slid over his shoulder and rested for a moment, then settled back on him. In a flash of suspicion, he glanced over his shoulder.

"Where did Hilde go?!" he asked Relena, who glared firmly back at him without flinching.

"Like I'd tell _you_," Relena snapped.

"And what is that supposed to mean?!" Duo demanded.

"All you'll do is hurt her more. You may be the most important person in the world to her," Relena shot back. "But she doesn't need you breathing down her neck every second of the day!!"

"I worry about her!!" Duo cried.

Relena's face softened slightly, but Duo noticed that anyway. He held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Okay, I'm sorry," he said. "Will you please tell me where Hilde is now?"

"Do you promise you won't try to get her to stop fighting?" Relena returned, her voice firm.

Duo paused thoughtfully, tugging slightly on his long brown braid. He bit his lip. "Yes." _I feel like an idiot. She's not my mother._

Relena sighed, glanced upwards, and told him how to get to Hilde's room. Duo nodded his thanks, left, and Relena rolled her eyes. _What an idiot!_ she thought, but smiled slightly anyways.

* * *

Duo was stock-still as he nervously knocked on Hilde's closed door. "Hilde? Are you in there?" he asked.

"Go away!" was the abrupt response. _Yup, Hilde's in there,_ Duo thought, slightly amused, but more morose.

"I just want to talk to you . . ." he said as he leaned on the door.

Duo nearly fell over as Hilde opened her door abruptly. "What?" she demanded. Duo, to his chagrin, noticed that she had been crying, but it was not very noticeable.

"Um, can I talk to you?" he asked tentatively.

Hilde nodded sharply and gestured for him to come in. "Yes?" she asked in a quieter tone.

"I'm sorry about what I said before, I just got really angry," he apologized, tugging on his braid again.

"I am, too, but I don't understand why you won't let me fight," said Hilde. "I want to fight for the people, but I also want to fight because . . ." Hilde trailed off, embarrassed.

Duo looked at her. "Because . . .?" he questioned.

Hilde looked away and blushed slightly. "Because - because I want to prove to you that I'm capable of taking care of myself when I fight. Prove to you that I'm not a little girl who needs to be taken care of."

Duo sighed. "I just worry about you. Because I love you."

Hilde smiled. "Then you wouldn't mind if I do . . . this?" she asked right before she kissed him, full on the lips.

After some "French lessons", Duo grinned. "Of course not. You think I'd mind if a beautiful girl kissed me?" he asked in mock surprise as Hilde laughed.

* * *

"I can't believe it!" Zechs Merquise shouted in the general direction of his fiancee, Lucrezia Noin. "I can't do a thing about this Clan because all we're relying on are the Gundams! My rivals!"

"Zechs -" Noin tried to intervene, but he ignored her.

"I hate being helpless! No more mobile suit production, so we can't fight back!"

"Why don't you -"

"What do you think, Noin!? You're just being silent over there!!"

"SHUT UP, ZECHS!!!" Noin screamed, finally getting fed up. "I've been trying to talk to you! Why don't you restart the abandoned mobile suit factories - they're still standing. We could form the Earth Defensive Task Force, and call it the EDTF for short," she suggested, slightly calmer now. "We could use people we know and trust to recruit soldiers. We could fight back!"

Zechs stared at her long and hard for a few moments. "I'll think about it," he said grudgingly.

Noin rolled her eyes.

* * *

"Noin, I thought a lot during the night, and I've got an idea. Why don't we restart the abandoned mobile suit factories - they're still standing. We could form the Earth Defensive Task Force, and call it the EDTF for short. We could use people we know and trust to recruit soldiers. We could fight back!"

Noin stared at him, mouth hanging open. She stared at him for a few minutes in astonishment, then sighed in exasperation. "Fine. Do whatever you want," she said through gritted teeth. "Give me some say on the MS's and their pilots, though." _He's using the exact same words as I did!_ she thought indignantly.

_What's her problem?_ Zechs wondered vaguely as he left to look at the MS factories. The closest one was nearby, and he wanted to see if it still worked.

_Men,_ thought Noin darkly. _They're all alike._

* * *

"Relena, your mission now is to destroy a small Viper Clan outpost. It's fairly far away, and you're going solo," Doctor J confided, and Relena nodded. "Here are the coordinates," he instructed, handing her a piece of paper.

Relena nodded again and studied the paper. Not too far away, but it would take some time. "I'll get right on it," she promised and he nodded approvingly.

* * *

Relena activated Draco's thrusters as she exited the hangar. _I wonder if Duo's going to tell the others?_ she wondered as she sped across the desert sand. _And what will he say? No need to worry about that, I need to focus on the mission,_ she reminded herself.

It took about three quarters of an hour to get there. The building itself looked ordinary, but Doctor J had informed her that there was an underground mobile suit factory there. _There should be a hangar entrance somewhere around here,_ she thought as she scanned the area.

"Got it!" Relena exclaimed out loud as she noticed a slight dip in the sand near the building. _Ingenious,_ she thought admiringly. They had fixed the sand with a chemical that would allow something very heavy to sink down under the sand and to an underground lair. _Underground lair?_ she thought amusedly to herself as she started to enter the compound. _I sound like a video game._

_Something's not right here,_ she thought instantly as her eyes adjusted to the darkness of the area around her. Her instincts were setting off alarm bells in her head. _There's no one here at all that I can see!! Not even a few guards!_ she thought. _Y'know,_ she thought suddenly, _This would be the plot in a movie where the enemy would ambush me -_ Her thinking was cut off by a sudden beam saber slash from her right. The beam managed to pierce the Gundanium/Titanium armor around Draco and melted part of a wall around the cockpit. Her shoulder got caught slightly in the blow and she was injured with a deep cut on her shoulder blade.

"Aaah!" she cried out involuntarily. _Did they know I was here?_ she asked herself in a frenzy. _I've got to get out of here!!_ she thought desperately as she was hurt again - this time a deep gash in her leg. Tears sprang to her eyes, but she willed them away and took a deep breath. It didn't help. _It feels like a hatchet's lodged into my leg all the way down to my bone!_ she thought.

_I can't give up,_ she thought, but it was a weak and unwilling thought. _But sometimes discretion is the better part of valor,_ she amended hastily as she was attacked again and almost got knocked out from a blow to the head.

Relena backed up and flew out of the Viper outpost. _Great!_ she thought sarcastically as the mobile suits, which in the light were revealed as Tauruses, followed her. _I've got to get out of here!_ she thought. Draco was much faster than the Tauruses, so she outstripped them easily on her way back to base.

Relena stumbled out of Draco's cockpit when she was in the hangar, and the pain caught up with her full force. While she was in the fight and being chased, the adrenaline flooding her body blocked most of the pain, but the rush was over. Gratefully offering the kami a thankful prayer, she noticed that Hilde and Duo were in the hangar working on Phantasm.

"Hilde," she called out weakly. Her companion's head turned toward her and her mouth opened in surprise as she noted Relena's injuries. Hilde pulled Duo down the long staircase quickly as she rushed to her friend. "What happened?" Duo asked, wrench still in hand, amazed that she had such major injuries and was still concious, much less standing.

"P-pain," Relena stammered. "L-like fire." Her strength spent, her turquoise eyes rolled back into her head and she collapsed.


End file.
